When light is focused by a lens it is limited in its dimension to approximately half the wavelength and thus even visible laser beams cannot be focused down to dimensions smaller than approximately 200 nm. Certainly the dimensions below 50 nm which are normally attainable with electron beams cannot be obtained by any light sources that are presently available. This includes even light sources that exist in the far ultraviolet such as the ArF excimer laser which emits light at 193 nm. In fact there are additional problems in the focusing of such far uv sources and these include non-gaussian shapes, lens quality etc. The present invention includes a device that permits the encapsulation of light in atoms or molecules are excitons which allows light to propagate in molecular dimensions, using either electrical, optical or chemical excitation. This allows production of freely scannable light sources with dimensionalities that have never before been achieved as well as ultrasmall radiation detectors, optical switches and modulators. Our instrument also includes the ability to scan this device over a sample and to detect and image the radiation or excitons as they are transmitted, reflected, quenched or as the radiation excites luminescence or produces non-linear optical effects in the sample. Included in this is the ability of the present light source to store light energy as an exciton which can then be transmitted with high efficiency to the desired location either illuminating this location or imaging it.